Chain of Events
by The Asylum of the Devitory
Summary: Rifts to alternate dimensions have appeared in Nintendoland, and Miyamato designated 15 characters to combat this meance...
1. Trouble King

Presenting….  
  
The cast of  
  
SUPER SMASH BROS: MELEE  
  
In:  
  
CHAIN OF EVENTS  
  
A Saturday afternoon in the timeless realm Nintendoland was quickly approaching. There was Samus Aran in Metroid County, Donkey Kong living (relatively) peacefully in DK County, Link and Zelda in LOZ County, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera. Very rarely did the inhabitants of Nintendoland ever wonder what went on in the real world. All they cared about was getting a part in another Nintendo game. Naturally, when the crazy programmers at Nintendo of Japan Ltd. Conjured up the legendary "Super Smash Bros.," every digitalized character within the computer-banked world of Nintendoland was ecstatic. After all, who wouldn't want to be a 3- D Polygon in a smash-hit title? Sadly, when the twelve characters were picked for the game, it left the remaining Nintendoland inhabitants feeling quite rejected. "Why Samus?" One would ask another. "Who would want to play as Pikachu?" The other would ask. Soon, when the glimmer of novelty wore off, the tenants of Nintendoland went back to their own respective carefree imaginary lives.  
  
Mario was relaxing peacefully in his soft squishy armchair sofa. He had his feet up on the rest and a bottle of Mountain Dew in his hand. "Mama-mia," he sighed, "I have to clean up my den sometime," he said as he looked around his plain living room. Dirty laundry and other miscellaneous papers were strewn helter skelter all around the floor and tables. Mario yawned and stretched out. "Probably I shouldn't a-had that triple-pepperoni Pizza with the Mega-Milkshake for lunch," Mario sleepily yawned and closed his eyes.  
  
Mario was whisked away to sleep, a dreamy sleep chalk-full with old memories. Mario slightly grinned when his mind remembered the time he invited Peach, Bowser and Luigi to his house for a quaint supper, when the clumsy Luigi slipped on a wet spot on the linoleum floor and just so happened to cling to Peach to keep himself from falling. It wasn't until Peach grew angry that Luigi realized he used Peach's chest to stop his tumble-- Mario could barely fight back the outburst of laughter as he helped his brother up and apologized to Peach on his then-babbling bashful brother's behalf.  
  
Then, Mario's dreaming brain took him to his own adventures in the Mario Bros. series. After dunking Bowser in the pit of lava in the first Super Mario Bros. game, Mario pulled him out and took him for a drink at the bar with the rest of the Mario Bros. cast. Mario remembered telling the Nintendo Storyline ambassador to Nintendoland that having Super Mario Bros. 2 being just a big dream was an absurd idea, but they went ahead and used the protested plot anyway.  
  
Suddenly, Mario's bright and sun-filled dreams turned a tint darker. He dreamt of the time he nearly erased himself from data-created Nintendoland with a stray real-world magnet. Also, he remembered the time when he made his appearance on the ill-fated Virtual Boy. By now, Mario was tossing in his sleep.  
  
Mario awoke with a jolt, and he found himself lying flat on his back on a cold hard surface. "What a-happened?" Mario asked himself, sitting up. He looked around, and nearly suffered a heart attack when he saw where he was.  
  
It was a pitch black endless void, with him standing on some sort of long, rectangular floating platform in the mysterious star-spotted abyss. Two smaller platforms hovered above him, one on either end of the strange stage, with a third propped high above all of the rest. "What is this place?" Mario asked himself. Mario walked cautiously toward the edge of the platform, knelt down, and peered over the rim of the platform. It was nothing but a foggy bottomless pit all the way down. Mario willed his gloved hand to catch fire, and shot a flaming fireball down into the void. Second after silent second passed, Mario waiting with nearly non-existent breath to hear a thunk of any kind to tell him how far down it was until the bottom. After a minute, Mario concluded that he was trapped on top of this strange stag with no way to get off and go home. "What kind of a crazy place is this?" Mario asked aloud, his sharp voice echoing all over the endless starry void.  
  
Suddenly, the ground shook violently beneath Mario's feet, and a resounding thud boomed from behind him. When Mario turned around and took a glimpse of what was behind him, his jaw dropped wide open with surprise. "B-B-Bowser!"  
  
Bowser snarled. This was unlike the friendly Nintendoland dweller Bowser that he knew. After all, they were enemies in just the games. "Bowser!" Mario said cheerfully. Bowser's neck only twitched. "It's a-me! Mario!" said Mario happily. Bowser grunted again. It was just then that Mario noticed that Bowser's eyes had fully rolled back in their sockets, and Bowser was slightly moaning an eerie hum. "Bowser, you a-don' look to good," said Mario cautiously.  
  
"K-k-k-k-k…" Bowser softly stuttered.  
  
"Eh?"  
  
"Kiiiiiii-"  
  
"Bowser?"  
  
"KILL YOU!"  
  
With that, the droning Bowser roared and charged Mario head-on. Mario barely had time to somersault over the lumbering beast and avoid being smashed into the endless black void. Bowser stumbled near the edge of the platform, and pulled himself away from he bleak point of a disastrous doom. Within moments, Bowser had spun around and rushed Mario again. Mario dove out of Bowser's way again, just in time to narrowly avoid him. "Bowser!" Mario gasped, "What's-a gotten into you?"  
  
"Juszzzt dieMariojuzzsszz' die!" Bowser babbled with an ear-shattering roar, sucking in a deep breath, and violently exhaling a stream of flames from his mouth at Mario. Mario quickly leapt up onto one of the two middle- level platforms above him, letting Bowser's Fire Breath swoosh below him.  
  
"Bowser! What's a-happened to you?" Mario asked with a yell. Bowser only glared at Mario on the lower main platform with his blank eyes.  
  
Suddenly, Bowser took to the air with a jump, and then magically thrust himself up with another jump, as if he leapt against a solid floor of nothing, and threw himself down in a Bowser Bomb when he was above Mario. Mario quickly dove from the platform and onto the stage below, letting Bowser's tremendous weight shake the whole stage as he landed with a deafening thud.  
  
"Fight me Mario!" roared Bowser, hopping off the levitated mini-platform and landing on Mario's level.  
  
"Bowser! What's-a wrong with you?" Mario asked worriedly.  
  
"Fight me!" Bowser demanded again.  
  
"Bowser, is there something wrong?" Mario asked. Bowser only snorted flames from his nostrils. "Bowser?" Bowser remained still. Cautiously, Mario tiptoed towards the maddened beast.  
  
Suddenly, Bowser came to life once more. "Die!" Bowser declared, rushing at Mario again. Before Mario could even blink, his belly met Bowser's snout with Bowser's brutal Hammer Head attack. Mario was sent flying, far clearing the platform and sent spiraling helplessly into the endless emptiness. Mario tried to scream for help, but a deep musky air in his belly constricted his voice. He suddenly felt a dark blanket of coldness wrap over his body as he plummeted through the empty void. Suddenly, a blazing bright light flashed before Mario's eyes as the last few seconds of his consciousness deserted him. 


	2. 2

Chapter 2  
  
When Mario awoke, the first thing he made out from his blurry vision was the face of Peach. "Mario!" Peach gasped, "Thank Miyamato you're alive!"  
  
Mario groaned as Peach helped him sit up. He was still in his armchair in his cluttered den. "Mama-mia, what happened?" Mario moaned.  
  
"We nearly lost you there, Mario," Came the voice of Captain Falcon. Mario looked around, and saw various electrodes taped to his body. It was then that he noticed that his shirt and the top half of his overalls had been ripped away from his body, his bare chest also sported many wires attached to him with tape.  
  
Captain Falcon made himself visible in the dimly lit den. "We don't quite know what happened yet Mario," he said, "But we do know where you went."  
  
Mario looked at Peach in a haze of confusion. "I don't quite understand it either, Falcon," said Peach, looking at the Captain.  
  
Suddenly, a faint electronic bleeping echoed through Mario's den. Captain Falcon picked up his cell phone from his belt and spoke. "Yeah? Oh, yes- he's here and- yes, he's alive. Roger that Samus, I'll be there with him soon." Captain Falcon clicked his phone off, and returned it to the clip on his belt.  
  
"Can't anyone tell me what happened?" Mario asked in the large conference room of Nintendo HQ. Everyone there shook their heads. They were all sitting down at the rectangular table when Link and Zelda arrived in the room, carrying a badly bruised and bloody Donkey Kong on their shoulders.  
  
An armored yet helmet-less Samus Aran stood up, and walked to the head of the table. "Roll call everyone," she announced. Samus nodded to Ness, and the Earthbound star quickly closed the double doors of the conference room. Samus looked at her clipboard she held. "Bowser?" she asked  
  
"Here," the large lizard said gruffly, sitting at the back of the table.  
  
"Yoshi?"  
  
"Here!" Yoshi squeaked cheerfully from the opposite side of Bowser.  
  
"Pikachu?"  
  
"Pika!" The small Pokemon exclaimed from beside Yoshi.  
  
"Fox McCloud?"  
  
"Here," said Fox impassively, sitting down beside Bowser.  
  
"Captain Falcon?"  
  
"Yo," Said the Captain charismatically, sitting down beside Pikachu.  
  
"Peach?"  
  
"Here," said Peach in the seat beside Mario.  
  
"Mario, Donkey Kong, Link, Zelda and Ness are here, so we're all accounted for," Said Samus, putting down her clipboard on the table and sitting down at her seat near the front of the table.  
  
"So, what are we here for?" Mario asked Samus, "And what happened to Donkey Kong?"  
  
The battered Donkey Kong looked at Mario for a while, and then hung his head and muttered.  
  
"Mario, the place you were transported to was a damaged area of Nintendoland called `The Battlefield,'" said Samus. "Donkey Kong was warped to an alternate imaginary zone, like you were, to a twisted Jungle Japes."  
  
"Alternate Imaginary?" Yoshi asked, confused.  
  
"It's simple really," said Ness to Yoshi, "An alternate reality occurs in the real world. But, we're all imaginary characters, living in Nintendoland, so an alternate reality for us is an alternate imaginary."  
  
"Makes sense," Yoshi hummed.  
  
"Now, back on topic," Said Samus. "Mario, from what Miyamato's told me, you faded through a rift of the data world when you slept."  
  
"What kind of rift?" Mario asked.  
  
"It's a tear in the cyber-data continuum. If we're not careful, we could be warped back inside that alternate imaginary- just like Mario and DK."  
  
"What's causing it?" Ness asked.  
  
"We don't know yet," said Samus cautiously, "But we do know that it can happen to anyone who loses consciousness- even in sleeping."  
  
Mario looked at Donkey Kong. The primate soon returned his stare.  
  
"So what?" asked Falcon casually.  
  
"You could be erased- permanently," Samus stated firmly. There was a gasp throughout the room.  
  
"We were lucky to bring Mario back," said Samus," but that was only because we discovered him only a few seconds after his astral body faded into The Battlefield."  
  
"Astral body, what?" Donkey Kong asked through his swollen bloody lip. "Then how come I-?"  
  
"Simply put," said Samus, "Whatever bruises your astral body takes in the alternate imaginary, the same damage happens to your body."  
  
"Damn," the monkey muttered.  
  
"So let me get this straight," said Bowser slowly. "Miyamato is saying that there are now rifts throughout Nintendoland, and anyone who loses consciousness is a potential victim?"  
  
"Yep," Samus nodded bitterly.  
  
"What about the other citizens of Nintendoland?" Link asked as he polished his sword.  
  
"Miyamato has programmed them with immunity from the alternate reality," said Samus, "But he's saved the dirty work for us."  
  
"Goodie," Ness said sarcastically.  
  
"According to Miyamato, the rift to the alternate world will be forever sealed is if we `complete' the scenario that it takes us to. Mario, your scenario for instance was to take out that data-Bowser."  
  
"Which reminds me," said Mario, "what was with that Bowser? His eyes were totally blank- he had trouble speaking properly."  
  
"That's the kind of enemies you'll find," said Samus. "They are clones of all of us here in this room- unfortunately for them, they are not perfect clones. They have all our abilities, but for the most part they lack the mental abilities that we have."  
  
For a few minutes, the whole room was silent. "Miyamato has estimated that there are about thirty or so of these rifts," said Samus. "Since Mario lost in his, there are now approximately thirty-two rifts. Thankfully, Donkey Kong won his bout."  
  
"So, let us sum this up," stated Link. "We have been chosen by Miyamato-sama to enter these alternate realms by means of sub consciousness, right?"  
  
Everyone nodded.  
  
"So, in order to destroy these rifts, we must all `win' the problem that it poses within." When no one said anything else, Link sighed, and then said, "Good night." 


	3. Bomb Fest

"Sorry we're late!"  
  
The pair of short parka-clad siblings burst into the conference room just as Link left.  
  
"Nana and Popo?" Kirby mused, "Haven't seen you since 1985!"  
  
The two Ice Climbers took a rest to catch their breath, and then said in unison, "Miyamato just debriefed us- he wants us to help out with the rifts too!"  
  
Samus shrugged. "Sure," she said, "The more the merrier…"  
  
"Hey, where's Link?" Both twins asked simultaneously.  
  
"Gone to fight in a rift," Bowser grumbled.  
  
"If you would all excuse me," Said Zelda as she rose from the table, "I've got a rift to seal."  
  
-  
  
Yoshi lay awake in his bed. Yoshi looked at the small digital alarm clock at his bedside counter. "Three o'clock?" Yoshi groaned to himself. "Dammit Yoshi, sleep!" he commanded himself. Yoshi hardly felt the least bit drowsy. "Sleep sleep sleep sleep sleep!" Yoshi mentally screamed at himself. He still lay awake in bed.  
  
Yoshi sighed, and got out of bed. Walking outside of his bedroom in Yoshi Island's Yoshi Apartments, Yoshi walked outside of the house and leaned up against the brick wall of an alleyway. It was pitch-black outside. "Good," thought Yoshi as he picked up a nearby trash can lid. Raising it above his head, Yoshi violently smashed the lid on top of his skull. Yoshi fell to the ground unconscious.  
  
When he awoke, he found he was lying on a pink-shingled roof of some house. When he got to his feet, he gasped when he saw he was hundreds of feet above ground level, atop of a floating roof of Peach's Castle. "Uh oh," Yoshi murmured.  
  
A sudden boom made Yoshi nearly jump out of his skin. Yoshi looked behind him. Behind him was a short tower of Peach's roof. From over the tower leapt a green-clad man, looking somewhat like Link.  
  
"Link!" Yoshi exclaimed.  
  
"Kill y-y-y-y!" Link babbled.  
  
"Shit," Yoshi sighed.  
  
Just then, another tall figure leapt from behind the tower and landed beside the Link clone, a clone of Samus Aran. "Di-ie Yoshi!" she hollered.  
  
"Oh, boy," Yoshi muttered.  
  
The Link clone reached behind his back, beneath his shield, and pulled out a large round bomb. Yoshi began to back away slowly as the Link and Samus advanced on him.  
  
Suddenly, a small round red and white object dropped from the sky and plopped right in front of Yoshi. Yoshi, his quick mind acting instantly, lifted his foot and kicked the round colored ball into the air. The ball hit the Link on the nose, knocking him backwards. The Samus paused, and looked at the tiny ball. The ball suddenly split open, and from a flash of light that shot from the ball emerged a larger red-white ball. It was a Pokemon, an Electrode, and it looked like it was about to use a move that Yoshi knew all to well. Using his high-flying jumping ability, Yoshi soared over the Link and Samus clones, leaving the two to gaze at the glowing Electrode. "Whazziz?" The Samus clone pondered aloud.  
  
The Link clone got back to his feet and looked at the Electrode with his blank eyes. The Link tapped the Electrode with his sword.  
  
Yoshi was on the other side of the tower when he heard the earth-shattering boom blasting from the other side. "Samus was right," Yoshi quietly chuckled to himself, "Those clones are none too smart!"  
  
Suddenly, a charred body of Samus fell down from the sky in front of him. The Samus landed with a crash onto the roof floor, and lay motionless, charred and black and smoking heavily. Yoshi ambled towards the Samus and poked her with his foot. "Yup," he concluded, "She's gone."  
  
Suddenly, the Samus sprung back to life, and grasped Yoshi by his ankle. Before Yoshi could react, the Samus clone sped to her feet and slammed Yoshi down onto the ground. Yoshi landed with a crash and bounced along the roof. When Yoshi sprung to his feet, he saw a screaming missile speeding to his face. Yoshi flung himself to the floor and let the missile sail over his head. When Yoshi looked up again, he saw he was now at the feet of the Samus Aran clone. Winding back her foot, Samus gave Yoshi a kick to his shoulder, blowing the small dinosaur backwards. After a rough landing, Yoshi staggered to his feet to see the Samus slowly walking towards him.  
  
Just then, Yoshi saw something small walk by his feet. Yoshi picked the small thing up and saw it was one of the small wind-up walking bombs, the Bomb-ombs. Yoshi smiled. The fuse was lit.  
  
"Hey Samus!" Yoshi yelled at the clone, "Catch!"  
  
With that, Yoshi hurled the small Bomb-omb at the Samus clone. With her only usable hand, Samus caught the Bomb-omb and inspected it closely.  
  
"Man, they [I]are[/I] stupid," Yoshi sighed as he crouched to the ground and squeezed his eyes shut.  
  
The last thing Yoshi heard before he opened his eyes again was a loud boom. When he opened them again, he found he was still lying in the alley, with a bloody wound on the top of his head dribbling blood onto the ground. It was still the dead of night, Yoshi noted as he groaned and rubbed his bleeding head.  
  
Yoshi weakly got back to his feet and picked up the bent trash can lid he used to bash himself with. "One down, twenty-something to go," he muttered. 


	4. Pokemon Battle

With his helmet and shoulder-armor on his nightstand and wearing only a thin pair of briefs, Captain Falcon lay awake in bed. "Must not sleep," he continually muttered to himself, "must not sleep, must not sleep, must not sleep…" The Captain suddenly groaned. "Aw, why me?" he whined, "I don't wanna' close rifts and stuff!" He rolled over and buried his face in the pillow. "I don't wanna'!" his muffled voice complained.  
  
Falcon rolled over on his back again and stared at the white ceiling. His eyelids felt like lead and were burning in his head with the pressing desire for sleep. Falcon yawned. "Maybe," he sighed, "Maybe I'll just close my eyes for, just a little while…" He yawned as he closed his eyes and sunk into the bed.  
  
When he opened them again, he sensed he was lying on a patch of artificial plastic grass fully clothed, with his shoulder armor and visored helmet. "Oh, crap," he muttered, getting up to his feet. Looking around, he saw he was on a small rectangular field of artificial grass, lined along the edge with white-painted metal. Above him floated two smaller green platforms on either side of the field. "Kanto Stadium," Falcon said to himself, instantly recognizing the field.  
  
Falcon peered over the edge of the Stadium field, and saw it resided over a bottomless pit. "Shit," he muttered.  
  
Suddenly, a small voice sqeaked from behind him. "Pika!" it said.  
  
"The hell you doing here, Pikachu?" Falcon asked the Pokemon, turning around to look at the voice's source.  
  
"Pika," he responded.  
  
"Oh, that's right," Falcon muttered to himself, "You can't talk."  
  
Then, Falcon noticed something about Pikachu that was not quite right. His eyes were devoid of the usual brihtness and dark brown glaze. "You're not a clone Samus was tellin' us about, are ya'?"  
  
"P-p-I!"  
  
Falcon groaned. "Why me?"  
  
Just then, a small Pokeball plopped from the sky and landed between Pikachu and Falcon. While Falcon stood there dumbfounded, the Pikachu hastily scampered over towards the small ball and plicked it up in his tiny jaws. The Pikachu rose upright and then spat the ball out a Falcon.  
  
The ball smacked the Captain square in the nose as the Pikachu laughed. "Ouch! You little bitch!" Falcon screeched, holding his nose with both hands. "You're goin' down'!"  
  
Falcon threw his arms to his sides and dashed madly at the Pikachu. However, once he threw his leg into the Pikachu's face, his leg passed straight through the Pokemon's face, and the Pikachu stood there unharmed.  
  
Falcon was lost for an explanation of the bizzare event. He turned around to see the Goldeen pathetically flop about on the ground after it had come out of the Pokeball. "Dude!" Falcon screamed aloud, "What the hell is this?"  
  
Falcon withdrew his leg from within the Pikachu and crouched down to it. The Pikachu wore a silly empty smile as it gazed at Captain Falcon in return for Falcon's stare. Falcon poked his finger through Pikachu's body, and found there was nothing to touch.  
  
Falcon stood up. "Well, this is messed," Falcon muttered, "Just how the hell am I supposed to kill you if I can't even touch you?"  
  
Just then, another Pokeball dropped from the sky and landed at Falcon's feet. Falcon 's lips caught a mean grin. Quickly picking the Pokeball up, Falcon wound it back in his arm and viciously tossed it at the Pikachu. With an agonized squeal the Pikachu flew backwards from the impact the ball created after smacking him on the forehead and landed on the ground.  
  
"Pika-ka-ka!" The Pikachu snarled, picking himself up.  
  
"Ha ha!" Falcon laughed, putting his hands at his hips, "Whatcha' gonna' do?"  
  
The Pikachu went to pick up the Pokeball, but it exploded open in his hands in a flash. When the flash subsided, Pikachu found himself to be standing in the looming shadow of a Charizard. With a quick puff of breath, the Charizard blew a cloud of flames into Pikachu's face. The Pikachu howled in pain as he rubbed his face and staggered about the field.  
  
The Charizard suddenly vanished into the air as Falcon laughed at the Pikachu's plight. "Sucka'!" he jeered.  
  
The Pikachu rolled around on the ground, rubbing his face into the turf, quenching the flames. When the Pikachu got back up, he revealed his scorched face, burned black by the fire. "Pi-ii-I-ka," He growled at Falcon.  
  
"Let's see you try it, Pika-bitch!" Falcon replied, still laughing.  
  
Another Pokeball suddenly materialized from out of the thin air and dropped in front of the Pikachu. Quickly picking it up in his jaws, the Pikachu spat the ball out at Falcon. However, with hardly a thought, Falcon caught the Pokeball in front of his face, and almost immediatley re-directed the ball into Pikachu's nose. The ball blew Pikachu backwards, with the ball rolling along with him. The Pikachu landed on his back and wearily sat up with the Pokeball in his lap. The Pokeball suddenly sprung open, and soon Pikachu found a large Blastoise perched at his feet.  
  
The Blastoise looked down upon the tiny Pikachu, and aimed his water cannons at him. "Pi-ka," the Pikachu managed to groan before the Blastoise let a massive blast of water shoot from his cannons and slam into Pikachu. Falcon laughed as the Pikachu was sent sailing and screaming over the horizon. "See ya', sucka'!" he waved mockingly. 


	5. Hot Date on Brinstar

Dressed in his mountain-climbing gear, Popo drew his mallet and looked around. "What's this creepy place?" he muttered to himself.  
  
The small isle he stood on was floating in the air above, from what Popo could tell it was, a boiling pit of a strange yellowish liquid. Three platforms mysteriously floated above his head in a perfect line, the two on the sides of the isle were bound to the island by strips of a flesh-colored fiber. And the large, dark cavern he was in added to the uneasy mood he felt.  
  
Suddenly, Popo felt a sharp pain jab into his left side. With a gasp, Popo fell to his knees and clutched his ribs. "What the hell-!" He groaned, wincing in pain. Popo dropped to his side on the ground and rolled on his shoulder. The pain in his side had moved to his belly, and it felt like something was eating him alive inside of his gut. Popo let out a brief scream of agony and wrapped his arms around his stomach, trying in futility to ease his pain. Suddenly, the pain vanished from him. Astonished, Popo rose to his feet and rubbed his belly. His body was mysteriously worn-down, but at least the jabbing pain had subsided. "I hate these rifts," Popo muttered to himself.  
  
Just then, he saw what seemed to be a shooting star sail down from the ceiling of the cavern, and slam into the outer platform right of the top center one. Flames and smoke burned around the object that had fallen from the ceiling, and was still burning when Popo climbed onto the platform and gazed upon the object. "Samus!" Popo gasped when he saw who the fallen figure was. Samus lay there, face down in her Chozo armor, her suit burned and smoking, lying there motionless. Popo knelt down to Samus' side.  
  
Before Popo could utter a word, Samus rose to her feet and stood up to him. When she turned around, she muttered, "K-k-kill y-!"  
  
Popo groaned. "Oh well," he sighed, gripping his mallet tighter.  
  
No sooner had Popo took a fighting stance, the Samus threw her arms around his shoulders. "Al-l-live!" She stammered.  
  
Popo was taken back by the Samus clone's sudden affection for him. "Samus?" Popo murmured.  
  
"You- alive!" The Samus began to weep underneath her helmet.  
  
"What in fuck's name is happening?" Popo asked himself. "Samus, what happened to you?"  
  
"Y-Y-Yoshi!" The Samus clone babbled.  
  
"Yoshi?" Popo muttered. "Is Yoshi here too?"  
  
"Peach- Princess- castle top- big ball- boom-" the clone mumbled, still embracing Popo in her arms. Popo had no idea what Samus was babbling on about, but he uneasily welcomed her embrace nonetheless.  
  
Suddenly, Popo caught a mean grin on his lips. "Samus, do you want to kill Yoshi?" Popo asked with a cruel smile. The Samus released Popo from her embrace and vigorously nodded. "He's down there," said Popo, "in the middle of that boiling lava pit." Instantly, the Samus dashed off the platform and leapt off it, diving headfirst into the boiling acid pit. After a few seconds and a splash later, Popo heard an ear-splitting scream. "Yup, it's hot, isn't it?" he chuckled to himself. Instantly, the Samus clone shot up above Popo, and came crashing down again at his feet on her stomach. Popo slowly nudged Samus in her ribs with his boot. Popo laughed out loud. "You clones really are stupid, aren't you!" he laughed.  
  
Suddenly, the Samus clone rose to her feet and stood in front of him. Although Popo couldn't tell, Samus was angrily glaring at him. "K-k-kill you!" The Samus clone screeched, lunging at Popo. Popo was taken completely by surprise by Samus's attack and was soon knocked off the platform by a vicious shoulder tackle from Samus. Before Popo could land on the platform below, He saw Samus drop down beside him in the air and land a midair kick into his face. Popo was shot backwards by the blow and sent skidding along the main platform when he landed. Popo wearily got to his knee and sputtered, rubbing his bloody lip. "Alright Samus," Popo growled, clutching the handle of his mallet harder, "Now you've gone and pissed me off!"  
  
The Samus clone could barley twitch before Popo sprung into the air with his mallet above his head, and violently smashed it into Samus' skull. Before Samus hit the ground as she fell from Popo's blow, Popo wound his mallet over his shoulder and then let it sail into Samus' ribs. Samus was thrown backwards from Popo's attack, and was sent sailing far away from the platform. Popo took a short breath, still worn down from the mysterious abdominal pain from before, as he watched Samus sail away from the platform and down below Popo's view. Popo sat down with crossed legs and relaxed. "That takes care of her," Popo said, "Now, how long does it take to wake up?" he asked himself.  
  
He waited. He continued to wait. He waited for about a minute before he began to complain. "How Goddamn long does it take to get outta' here?" He shouted out loud.  
  
Popo was answered with a sudden feeling of the platform slightly vibrate briefly underneath him. When he heard a sudden scream echo behind him, Popo sprang to his feet and whirled around. "K-Kill you-u!" screamed the charred figure of Samus on the other end of the platform.  
  
Popo weakly laughed. "Now, come on Samus," Popo managed a weak smile, edging towards the edge of the main platform, "About me tricking you into the lava," Popo weakly began, clenching his mallet tighter in his mitten.  
  
"Kill you!" Samus babbled, angrily stomping her feet on the ground as she slowly advanced on Popo.  
  
"Now, I really didn't want to see you burn alive! Honest!" Popo blurted out.  
  
"Sh-sh-sh-ut up!"  
  
"You hugged me just a few moments ago? Remember?" Popo weakly asked, now on the very edge of the platform. "Do you want another?"  
  
"Die!" Samus screamed, charging towards Popo.  
  
Popo took a deep breath, squeezed his eyes tightly shut, wound back his arm holding his mallet in the other, and when Samus was right within striking distance from Popo, Popo shot his empty hand forward, letting a blast of icy cold wind blow upon Samus. The clone gave a shrill yelp as she was blown far away from the stage. Popo took a relaxing sigh of relief as he watched Samus, slowly becoming incased in a coffin of ice, sailed into the sky and disappeared into the depths of the dark cavern. And in a brilliant flash of light, Samus disappeared and Popo suddenly lost consciousness.  
  
-  
  
Popo wearily opened his eyes. The blurry image of Nana's face greeted him as she looked into his eyes. "Popo!" She exclaimed, throwing her arms around him, "Thank God you're alright!"  
  
Popo found he was lying down in the lower bunk of his and Nana's bunk bed, and wearily sat up as Nana released him. "Nana, what happened?" Popo groaned.  
  
Nana, dressed only in a tank top and shorts, letting her long dark brown hair spill over her shoulders, sighed. "You went to sleep without me," she said, holding a wad of a Kleenex in her hand.  
  
"Oh yeah," Popo murmured, letting one hand cling to his T-shirt, "We hoped that if we slept at the same time like we usually do, that way we might fight in the rift together. I'm sorry, but I was just really tired."  
  
Nana sighed again. "You could have been hurt badly without me," she said, dabbing at Popo's bruised lip with the Kleenex.  
  
"Aw, I'm sorry sis," Popo sighed.  
  
"I was really worried about you," Nana said, tossing the Kleenex into the trash basket beside the bed, "When I saw you sleeping on your own I nearly had a heart attack!"  
  
Popo swung his stubby legs out to the side of the bed. "I'll try not to worry you like that again," Popo said solemnly.  
  
"Promise?" She asked innocently.  
  
"Promise." 


End file.
